Is coffee an absolute essential in your daily routine? While we love all the health benefits that it provides, there are a few things that we should take note when we we’re drinking our daily coffee. Read on to learn about the 4 coffee habits that you should avoid picking up!
4 coffee habits that you should avoid picking up
1. Avoid taking coffee with medication or supplements
If you’re feeling a little under the weather and have to pop a couple of pills, it’s best to avoid taking them with coffee.
Taking coffee with medication may slow down the absorption of your medication, affecting its effectiveness and your recovery. It’s best to wait at least 2 hours after taking your medicine before drinking a cup of coffee so that the two will not interfere with one another.
While taking your coffee with supplements may make your morning routine a little faster, you may not be getting all the nutrients that the supplements provide. Coffee has a mild diuretic effect. This means urination increases, which could deplete water-soluble vitamins in our body faster than usual.
2. Avoid drinking coffee with alcohol
Trying to sober yourself up after a few drinks and think a cup of coffee would work? Be careful as doing so may pose certain health risks.
The alcohol-caffeine combination can cause a spike in blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke, heart diseases and cardiac attack.
Both alcohol and coffee are also diuretics. This means that both beverages will drain water and salt out of your body and increase the production of urine. An overconsumption of diuretics could also cause dehydration.
Although it’s highly unlikely that coffee on its own will dehydrate you (unless you’re drinking five or more cups a day), the combination of coffee and alcohol may cause the effect to come about unexpectedly.
3. Avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach
Coffee is known to be a rather acidic drink. It contains acids that have shown to increase stomach acid, and the caffeine could also cause stomach contractions. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach may upset the acidic balance of your stomach, perhaps even causing an acid reflux for those with a more sensitive stomach or digestive tract.
Tip!
When drinking coffee, consider pairing it with some snacks or food to help with digestion.
4. Avoid drinking coffee too late in the day
We all know about caffeine and how it keeps us energised. Having coffee too late in the day can disrupt our ability to fall asleep and our sleep quality. Without proper sleep, it can lead to various health issues and a lower quality of life.
Always set a cut-off time for caffeine – a good gauge would be at least 6 hours before your bedtime. This’ll ensure that you’ll be able to head to dreamland easily and get a good night’s sleep.
Are any of these habits a part of your daily routine? If so, try changing them to make your daily cup of coffee a little healthier!